World On Fire
by TheLokiExperience
Summary: Two very different young women are brought to the mansion. Clara Azaria, a damaged young woman with a dark past. Samedi Merritt, a bubbly teenager whose mutation makes her addictive. Both will learn to control their mutations, but can they control their tumultuous relationships with those around them? Alex/OC; Charles/OC/Erik
1. Mutation

**PART ONE**

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**Chapter One: Mutation**

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**A/N: Hey everyone! So we've been super excited about the release of the new X-Men film and thought we would put our story up :) Now Part One will take place during the events of X-Men: First Class, and then Part Two is going to take place during X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hope that makes sense! Please do leave a review, feedback is always much appreciated.**

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Samedi Merritt was not normally a clubbing type of girl. It might be hard to believe, considering that she was currently rolling around without a shirt on with a guy who was almost ten years older than her. But her friends had convinced her to come with them, many of them only having recently turned eighteen – Sam being one of them. She honestly hadn't expected to come home with a guy. But Colin had just been too cute for her to resist, and as usual, he had been interested in her as well.

Colin was all over her, his body pressed against hers as he groped at her through the fabric of her lacy black bra. Sam didn't know what it was with guys. Since she had been about fourteen and gotten curves, guys had suddenly been interested in her. She liked to think it was because they thought she was hot – she was blonde with blue eyes, a slight tan and an hourglass figure that often earned her the nickname of 'Barbie', a nickname she hated. But it was more than that, although Sam couldn't quite put a finger on why guys seemed to want her.

"Sam? You around?"

A voice from downstairs made Sam bolt up, pushing Colin off her and lunging for her shirt. It was her twin brother Sydney. Although at least it was better than her parents coming home, Sam knew that Syd didn't like her being with guys. He thought she looked cheap if she was sleeping around with a lot of them. He didn't know she'd slept with less than half a dozen. What Syd didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Shit."

"Who's that?" Colin asked, looking slightly disappointed as he watched Sam pull her shirt back on and fix up her hair.

Sam rolled her eyes. "My brother."

The door was shoved open and Sam scowled at Syd. The twins both shared the same golden good looks, but Syd was nearly a foot taller than his sister. Syd had always been the popular one, the guy at school that everyone had gotten along with. When they'd graduated, Syd had been the smart one who had won all of the awards. Sam was just the pretty blonde girl who had guys making bets about who'd get in her pants first.

"Fuck, can you knock?" Sam folded her arms. Although she and Colin were both dressed, Syd wasn't an idiot and he would be able to tell what she'd been up to.

"Who the hell is this?" Syd's eyes narrowed threateningly as he took in Colin. Sam knew that her brother was often protective of her, knowing how easily guys were drawn to her.

"It doesn't matter, okay?" Sam snapped.

Colin looked uncomfortable. "Uh, maybe I should go…"

Syd pointed insistently at the door. "Leave."

Both twins glared at each other as Colin headed downstairs, the door closing behind him. Sam got to her feet and stormed downstairs, Syd following her, much to her annoyance. Why could he never mind his own business?

"Are you insane?!" Syd exclaimed.

Sam stomped into the kitchen. "Insane because what, I'm hooking up with someone?"

"Twice your age," Syd retorted, watching as his sister filed through the cupboard for coffee. Sam really needed to be more careful with who she chose to bring home. Not every guy was a mad axe murderer, but they didn't all have the best of intentions.

Sam scoffed. "Please, he's twenty-five."

Syd reached out and grabbed her arm, and Sam screamed as for some inexplicable reason, white-hot pain shot through her wrist. Syd's eyes widened and he drew back, looking shocked. Sam's wrist was on an odd angle, clearly broken as she stared down at it in horror. That wasn't possible. Syd had barely even touched her. How could he have broken her wrist?

"Sam?" Syd asked, before he started scratching at his face. Sam thought bitterly that it would ironic if something bad happened to him, maybe related to bugs. She knew how much her brother hated bugs. It was only when Syd crossed over and grabbed a large steak knife that Sam frowned.

"Syd?"

"Get it out," Syd said, rubbing furiously at one of his eyes.

Sam frowned. "Get what out?"

"The bug!" Syd cried, and a jolt of horror coursed through Sam. There couldn't possibly be a bug in his eye. It was just coincidence, because she had been thinking about bugs. But then why would Syd think there was one? "It's in my eye!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sam replied, her hands curling into fists.

Syd cried out in either pain or fear, and the next think Sam knew, he had raised the knife and stabbed himself in his left eye. Sam screamed and screamed as blood immediately started to pour down his face, as her brother collapsed on the kitchen floor with the knife still in his eye. Sam put her hands over her mouth and sobbed, wondering what had driven her twin to do that to himself. Syd had gone crazy. That had to be the only explanation…right?

* * *

Clara Azaria yawned as she slowly drew herself from her peaceful sleep. She stretched out, brushing her dark brown hair out of her equally dark brown eyes. She sat up, shoving the covers back and pulling herself out of the bed before wandering into the bathroom. She washed her face among other things before heading downstairs. Her mood immediately dropped as she heard the television, signalling that her eldest brother was still home.

"Clara." Rico greeted as he saw his sister emerge.

"Morning." Clara headed over to the fridge, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

Rico patted the spot beside him. "Come here."

Clara frowned, not moving from where she was leaning against the kitchen bench. "Why?"

"Coz I said so." Rico shrugged. He was used to her doing what he wanted.

Clara shook her head, not in the mood for her brother's antics. She knew she had to tread carefully around him. He'd developed their fathers warped mental state, with having both schizophrenia and bipolar issues. "I don't want to."

Rico made his way over to her and Clara seemingly shrunk away from him. He was only ever like this when Oscar wasn't around, and she was hoping that he would come home from work soon. One more year and she'd be finished at college and be able to leave. Rico brought his hand up, hitting her hard across the face causing her head to snap to the side and for there to be an angry red mark there.

"Dumb slut." Rico growled, fisting a hand in her hair and turning her face to him.

Clara couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes as she tried to struggle away from him. "I'm sorry."

Rico pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips to her neck. Clara knew he thought this normal in his warped mind, but she found it wrong, although she supposed it would've been worse had they shared a mother as well as a father. It was something Oscar and her had spoken about, deciding that their fathers mental state and Rico's mothers addiction to illicit substances led to one screwed up child.

Rico slapped her again as she continued to struggles, bringing a small cry from her. "Shut up!"

"Rico, let her go." Oscar growled as he walked into the kitchen, dumping his workbag.

Rico glared at the youngest sibling. "Stay out of this."

Oscar shook his head. "No. Let her go."

Rico threw her to the ground, rolling his eyes and scoffing as she crawled over to Oscar who helped her to her feet. "She's such a drama queen. Always looking for attention."

Oscar slammed his fist into Rico's nose, who staggered back before kicking him in the gut. Oscar staggered back, glancing at Clara when Rico went flying into the wall. Clara was shaking as she held her brother to the wall. She could feel the power surging through her like she had never felt before. She'd never been so angry in her life as she began to tear into his skin, causing him to scream in pain.

Oscar grabbed her shoulder, trying to shake her out of that state of mind. Clara seemingly ignored him as she ripped into Rico's throat, sending blood splattering on the wall and the tiled floors. She let go of him, watching as he slumped to the floor choking on his own blood. The next hours were a blur of colours and voice as Oscar pulled her from the house, shoved her in the car and began driving.

* * *

_Six months later_

Sam couldn't help but keep looking at the blonde guy who sat the bar, tapping his fingers and looking completely bored. Working at the Brass Bull could be pretty uneventful, so she usually found someone to watch. Nearly five months of working at the same place could do that to someone.

Of course she couldn't have stayed at home, not after Syd had died that way. She had just…run away. But it hadn't been the last time things had gone wrong. Sam found that when she told people to do things, they would. That sometimes when she was flirting with guys she got this sort of warm feeling, and they would suddenly get a bit more hot and heavy. She'd heard some women talking about it in whispers, about people having powers or things happen to them that couldn't be explained. There was a word for it: mutation.

After doing a bit of reading, something that high school Sam would have scoffed at, she found the answer. Her mutation lay in pheromone manipulation, meaning that if people were attracted to her, she could heighten or alter that attraction, using it to her advantage. She also was starting to wonder if she could make people see things, like illusions or something. It would explain how she had been thinking about bugs, and then Syd had stabbed himself in the eye.

"Hey, hun." Sam approached the cute blonde guy with a smile sweet as sugar. He was probably slightly older than her, and he returned the smile as she approached. _This one could easily be a victim._ "What can I get you?"

"Beer thanks."

She raised an eyebrow. "Any specific type?"

"Nope." The guy raked his hair back. "Surprise me."

Sam grabbed a Heineken, undoing the cap. Technically at eighteen, she was too young to be handling alcohol, but she had managed to convince the owner that she was nearly twenty-one. She handed the guy the beer and he pushed some money across the counter. As she counted it out, he took a sip of the drink and watched her. Sam looked up to see the blonde was eyeing her appreciatively.

"Something I can help you with, sugar?"

"Depends," the guy shrugged, "Is your name Samedi?"

Sam tapped her name badge. She often got stupid drunk questions about her name, and hated having to explain that her mother was half-French and thought it was a good idea to name her daughter 'Saturday' in French. Sydney had been named for the Australian city. Sam pushed her mind firmly away from her lost twin.

"Was your brother's name Sydney?" The guy asked, leaning across the bar.

"What's your name?" Sam asked a little suspiciously, frowning. She thought she'd run far enough to get away from being associated with her family. "How did you know my brother?"

"Alex Summers," he replied, "And no, I didn't. A friend told me about him."

Sam placed her elbows on the bar. To any observers, it would look like she was flirting with Alex. But her blue eyes glittered dangerously as she inspected him. Any mention of Sydney was unwelcome, and unwanted.

"You might want to be a little more specific."

"I know about your mutation," Alex stated, causing Sam to fall silent. He was the first person to ever use that word directly, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. "I know a place that can help you learn to control it."

Sam folded her arms over her chest. "You don't know anything about me."

He leaned back. "I know enough."

"I know enough about you to know I could use my mutation on you," Sam threatened. Alex wouldn't be aware that it was a threat she wouldn't carry through with, because she still hadn't fully learned to control her abilities. "But I won't."

"Because it scares you," he replied.

"That's not true." Sam bristled, because it was true. She was scared she would make someone do something horrible, like Syd had. Or that a guy would become completely obsessed with her. She reached out and pushed him back so that he fell off the bar stool. "Oh dear. You're drunk. I should have security see you out."

Sam watched as Alex clambered to his feet, scowling as he realised what she'd done. Sam folded her arms and smirked, satisfied.

"You don't know anything about my mutation, you stupid boy. If you did, you'd know you should be afraid of it, too."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Why is that?"

"Huh. You obviously don't know anything about it then." Sam jerked her head towards the door, noticing security already on their way over. "Get out."

* * *

Clara let out a heavy sigh as she walked into the kitchen as the smell of smoke began to waft from it. She walked over to the oven, pulling out the burnt cake and frowning. She opened the window, grabbing a towel and fanning the smoke out of the room. She frowned when she heard a knock at the door, heading towards the front of the house.

"Are you sure about this?" Erik questioned as her and Charles stood at the front door.

"Trust me." Charles told him as the door swung open to reveal Clara, who was dressed in a plain black tank top and jeans with her dark hair pulled back. "Clara, is it?"

"Yes?" Clara questioned, uncomfortable with having two unfamiliar men on her doorstep.

"My name is Charles Xavier, and this is Erik Lehnsherr. May we come in?" Charles could feel the uneasiness rolling off her in waves, though he couldn't pinpoint why and didn't see the point in sifting through the young woman's mind.

Clara was still tense; she didn't like strangers. "Why are you here?"

"To speak to you. We know about your mutation." Charles explained, lowering his voice at the last part.

Clara stepped aside and let them both in before leading them towards the kitchen. "Did you want a drink?"

"Yes, please." Charles smiled while Erik shook his head, standing quietly in the corner of the room.

Clara got him a glass of water, handing it to him and sitting across him from "So. Why are you here?"

Charles sipped the water, watching her carefully. "We can offer you a place to learn how to control your mutation." He noticed her hesitation and smiled warmly at her. "It's your choice."

Clara nodded, thinking on it for a moment. She was unsure about it, having trusted people and being hurt in the past, but she supposed she would have to move on from it one day. "I'd like to.'

"Good. There are others there, people like us." Charles assured her, watching as she nodded again. He could almost hear her thoughts ticking away as she thought through everything. "So, you want to come?"

Clara nodded, getting to her feet. "Yes, I do."

"Good." Charles glanced at Erik who was watching them intently.

"I'll go get my things." Clara told them as she walked into her room, shoving the stuff she needed into bags.

"At least this one's agreeable." Erik commented, causing Charles to shake his head and get to his feet when Clara walked out to them with a bag. She nodded that she was ready, following them out to the car, glancing back at the house as they drove off. She glanced at her hands, hoping that this was the last time she'd have to run away from past.


	2. Tension

**Chapter Two: Tension**

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**A/N: Wow, the response to this has been great so far :D We really hope you're enjoying the story. Please leave a review and let us know what you think, it's always appreciated :)**

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Sam's next shift was just as eventful as the first, only this time, an older man accompanied the blonde boy. She frowned tersely as she watched them sit down. The man was dark-haired and appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, from what she could tell. He was short, perhaps only a few inches taller than her – and that was saying something, considering she was only 5'4.

She shifted across to the bar and immediately made to tell them to leave, mind working at inventing some excuse, but the dark-haired man raised his hand and Sam shut her mouth, wondering what he was going to say. She folded her arms over her chest, unimpressed.

"I know you're angry at Alex," Charles stated, causing the blonde boy to avert his eyes, "But it wasn't his decision to come here. I suggested it. My name is Charles Xavier and I'm a mutant, just like you. I can read minds. That's how I found you, how I found snatches of Sydney in your mind. I don't want you to be angry, but I understand you might be. All I want is to help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" Sam asked suspiciously. She knew about guys asking for 'help'. One time a guy had given her a lift home from work and expected sexual favours from it. Sam had stormed off angrily as he'd yelled curses after her, and she'd known ever since that people rarely did things unless they expected something in exchange.

"Because mutants are rare, and I think you need training to control your powers," Charles stated, causing Sam to shift her feet. He was right – although she could sort of control her mutation, sometimes it could get her in sticky situations. She managed to worm her way out, but she wanted to learn from the mistake that cost Syd's life. "I live in a mansion not too far from here. You can come and if you don't like it, you're more than welcome to leave. But I can teach you, Samedi."

She looked up. The temptation of being able to use her abilities without anyone getting hurt or angry was a strong one. Charles was softly-spoken and seemed like he had good intentions – from what Sam could tell, he was resistant to the pull of her mutation. It was younger men like Alex she tended to attract. However she nodded slowly, glancing around the bar.

"Let me finish my shift first. I'll need to go back to my apartment and pack up a few things. Then…I guess I'll give it a go."

* * *

Clara gnawed on her lip as she read over the pages of her book, tuning out her surroundings. She flipped a page, leaning back against the lounge. She had thought that being in a house with various other people would mean that she never got peace and quiet, but she supposed with the house being so big everyone gave everyone else space.

"How are you fitting in?" Charles sat beside her, his words bringing her out of her thoughts.

Clara shifted away from him out of natural reaction. "I'm doing okay."

"You don't have to be afraid of me." Charles assured her, having noticed how she was always moving away from people when they got close.

Clara nodded, her eyes not once straying from her book. "I know."

"At least the boys are occupied." Charles mused. They were usually either occupied by the gym, or Sam, although he put that down to the young mutant's mutation. They were currently occupied with the latter. "Did you want anything?"

Clara shook her head, finishing her apple. "No, I'm okay."

Charles nodded, watching as she chucked the apple core in the bin before returning from the kitchen, sitting back on the lounge and going back to reading her book. He had noticed that she was definitely the quietest person in the house and she was also rather reclusive. It made him want to find out why, but at the same time he didn't feel it right to invade her mind to find out.

He glanced over at the book in her hand. It was a thick volume and she was around halfway through. "What are you reading, Clara?"

"A textbook." She smiled, stumbling over a page and having to re-read it.

Charles raised an eyebrow, watching as he brow furrowed in concentration. He knew that she wasn't raised in an English speaking country; he could hear it in her slight accent that he believed was Spanish. However, he was surprised at how well she did speak English, leading him to believe she was probably a fast learner. "What about? Anything in particular?"

Clara glanced over at him. "Psychology."

"Do you read a lot?" He inquired, watching her closely.

That was how she had first learnt English, reading it. "I always have.'

"That's good. Too few people read." Charles admitted, finding it hard to find someone who had an appreciation of books these days.

Clara smiled, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm guessing you read a lot."

"I definitely do." Charles chuckled. "You should talk to the others. You might make some friends."

Clara shrugged, she was used to being alone and not having very many friends. "I get along with Sam."

"That's a bit surprising." Charles had to admit they were rather different, although perhaps it was because there were few females in the house.

Clara raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his comment. "Why? Because I'm so quiet?"

Charles shook his head, that wasn't why is surprised him, it was more that Sam was a very open person and Clara was conservative. "Not really. More because Samedi is very...open about her femininity."

Clara nodded in understanding. She supposed there was a time where she wouldn't have associated with someone like Sam, but she was nice enough whenever Clara spoke to her. "Her mutation doesn't affect you, does it?"

"No. It's quite interesting, though. Her mutation relies on those around her. Which is why it affects Sean and Alex far more than it does me." Charles pointed out, as Alex and Sean were both close to Sam's age, therefore were still affected by their hormones.

"At least she can control hers." Clara pointed out, knowing that Sam, although she was still unsure of it at times, could usually control her mutation.

Charles raised an eyebrow. He was under the impression that Clara was able to control her mutation. "You can't control yours?"

Clara shook her head. "Only my psychometry."

"What other abilities do you have?" Charles inquired, having never found a mutant with more than one solid mutation before. It interested him.

"Telekinesis and precognition." Clara explained. Here telekinesis was unpredictable and her precognition gave her severe nightmares. Charles frowned as she hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"Are you alright?" Charles questioned.

Clara nodded. "Yeah, just thinking."

"About?" He pressed, wondering if there was an underlying issue behind how she was half of the time.

"My family." Clara sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Charles could feel sadness emanating off her, just looking at her he could tell her family's death impacted her greatly, even after it having happened years ago. Although, he knew her brother's recent death had been causing her nightmares. "Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes." Clara admitted, but other times she was glad that they were out of her life in a way.

Charles watched her intently. He didn't know why, but she interested him. "And other times?"

"I'm happy they're dead." Clara muttered, staring across the room at the wall.

* * *

Sam hummed as she stood in Charles's kitchen making a pot of tea. She had only been at the mansion overnight, but already things were really good – almost too good to be true. She had her own room that she didn't need to share with a messy roommate. There was plenty of room for her clothes and other things. She had been introduced to several other young mutants – many of who were barely older than her.

"Hey, Alex." Sam smiled as Alex wandered in and sat down at the kitchen table. She had been hostile towards him when they'd first met, but now seeing that Charles had been the one to suggest he came to find her, she'd mellowed a bit. "You want a tea?"

"Sure." Alex examined the blonde girl, taking in the tank top and shorts.

"Do you have sugar?" Sam asked, stirring the tea as Alex nodded. "How many spoons?"

"One, thanks." Alex replied. He glanced at Sean Cassidy, who was sitting beside him and appeared to be even more affected by Sam's mutation than him. Sean was staring openly at the blonde girl. Alex leaned against the bench and watched her too, as though being made tea was some kind of fascinating occurrence.

"You okay?" Sam raised her eyebrows, noticing that Alex was looking at her intently. She handed him his tea. "You're staring."

"Does that annoy you?" Alex asked. He wasn't entirely sure whether Sam meant to use her mutation – Charles had called it a 'charm', a phrase that Sam had been happy enough to adopt. He said it was always there, but could be turned up or down like the volume on a television, and he wasn't sure whether Sam knew how to work those changes in her mutation just yet.

"No. I think it's cute." Sam licked the sugar off the spoon.

"Do I get a tea?" Sean piped up, clearly eager to get some of Sam's attention.

She raised her eyebrows. "How many sugars?"

Sean winked. "None, you're sweet enough."

Alex rolled his eyes at Sean's blatant flirtation, but Sam just laughed and went about making him a tea. It had been ages since she'd actually had anything nice – she'd been living on a budget with her roommate and hadn't been able to afford great-tasting tea. But Charles had such a massive range that Sam had practically jumped for joy when she'd been told that she could help herself.

"There you go." Sam walked out of the kitchen and handed Sean his tea. Alex stretched himself out, smirking as he noticed Sam examining him appreciatively. She quirked an eyebrow at noticing his grin.

"Something amusing?"

"You find me attractive?" Alex asked boldly, setting his empty tea cup on the table.

"Maybe." Sam picked up her own cup of tea and sat down in his lap, although there were plenty of other chairs. She leaned back and took a sip of her tea, and Alex felt the inexplicable urge to put his hands on her waist. Sam giggled as he did so, taking another sip of her tea.

"So, you going to hit the gym today?" Alex asked conversationally, keeping his hands around Sam's waist.

"Hmm." Sam hadn't been aware that there even was a gym. "I might. Do you work out?"

"Yeah. Can't you tell?" Alex found himself more bold than he normally was. Straight out of solitary he had found it difficult to socialise with others, but he found talking to Sam was surprisingly easy.

"Have you got muscles?" Sam turned in his lap to face him. "Show me."

Alex flexed his arm, grinning when Sam reached out to touch his bicep. He couldn't help but shiver slightly at the soft touch of her hand.

"Do you have abs?" Sam asked, tilting her head to the side and smiling flirtatiously when Alex nodded. "You'll have to show me later."

"I'll show you mine!" Sean exclaimed, clearly determined to have some input in the conversation. Alex scoffed and glanced over at him. If Sean was attempting to compete, it wasn't even worth it.

"Like you have any."

Sam shrugged her slender shoulders. "Well, safe to say I don't have muscles."

"But you have boobs," Sean pointed out, not exactly a fact that had gone unnoticed by either of the teenage boys.

"Nice ones too," Alex added.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well spotted."

* * *

Clara hauled herself up the climbing wall for what felt like the hundredth time. She enjoyed it though, the mix of strength and cardio. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest and the somewhat comforting burn from her muscles. She glanced over at Erik as he walked over to one of the running machines, getting on and setting it to a brisk walk.

She stretched her arms and legs out before scaling the wall again, blowing her hair out of her face as she did. Erik was watching her move up the wall, admitting to himself that she was quite fit, and attractive. When she was about halfway up the wall Clara felt her foot slip before she crashed to the ground, the force of the landing pushing the air from her lungs, leaving her struggling to breathe on the ground for a moment.

Erik stopped the running machine, getting off and walking over to the young woman who was not a coughing mess. "Clara? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Clara began to push herself to her feet, pulling away after Erik grabbed her arm to help her up.

Erik frowned when she pulled away, seeing the tension appear in her body. "Clara?"

Clara shook her head, not wanting to think of what had happened in the past as it ran through her head. "Don't. Just stay away from me."

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Erik was confused at her reaction.

"No." Clara told him, rubbing her arms. "I should go."

Erik sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair. "Clara, wait. What's wrong?"

"Its nothing." Clara assured him.

"It's not nothing." Erik countered, moving between her and the door.

Clara clenched her jaw, trying to move around him, but Erik succeeded in continuing to block her exit. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm concerned." Erik told her, having seen how she flinched when anyone, with the exception of Sam, touched her or got to close.

Clara pushed her hair out of her face. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"No you aren't. I heard about your nightmare the other night." Erik told her. He was in the room next to hers and often heard her crying out in her sleep or waking up and sobbing until she fell back asleep. At first he thought it was her precognition, but now he felt as though it was something else.

Clara frowned. She didn't like to show weakness, especially not with people she barely knew. "What about it?"

"Something's scaring you." Erik frowned. He could tell that her nightmares were caused from something stressful having happened.

Clara shrugged, wanting to get off his topic of conversation. "Its nothing anyone can help me with."

Erik sighed heavily. "I'm sure someone can."

"Maybe one day." Clara told him, stepping around him.

"Talking about it is the first step, you know." Erik pointed out to her as she walked out of the room.

* * *

"Hey, Alex." Sam walked into the lounge to see that Alex was already sprawled on a couch – but when he looked up, he didn't exactly look pleased to see her. He shifted into a sitting position as though wary.

"Can we talk?"

Sam smiled. "Sure, honey."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Don't."

"What's wrong?" Sam reached out to touch his arm, but Alex pulled away from her as though her touch hurt him. She blinked in confusion at the hostile expression that had come over his face.

"I'm sick of you using your mutation on me."

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned. Sometimes it wasn't something she could help. Sure, she did flirt with Alex from time to time, but she didn't seek to actively use her mutation to seduce him. It still wasn't something she was entirely confident in using, with grasping the limits of her mutation still being out of her depth. She got this kind of warm, fuzzy feeling when it escalated, but that was the only way she could think to describe it. It wasn't just based on her, but also how much the other person was attracted to her.

"You know exactly what I mean. I don't like it."

"I don't know what you mean." Sam tilted her head to the side, but Alex looked incredibly fed up, pushing himself to his feet.

"Whatever, Sam."

"Alex…" Sam caught his arm to stop him, but again he wrenched away from her, blue eyes angry.

"Don't touch me."

She examined him critically. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid!" Alex exclaimed, his tone becoming angry, "I'm sick of you toying with me!"

"Toying with you?" Sam eyebrows furrowed. "I've barely touched you. How am I toying with you?"

"Your mutation," Alex spat the word like it was poisonous, and Sam visibly flinched. She thought she was meant to be accepted here. But it seemed like wherever she went, the unpredictable nature of her mutation and the consequences it could have meant that she would be shunned.

"It's not like I've kissed you or anything," Sam said defensively.

"No, but I'm sick of you making me run around drooling over you when I don't even like you," Alex retaliated. Sam wouldn't admit that his words stung. She could understand his point, but felt he didn't need to be quite so harsh towards her.

"You obviously do," she sneered, knowing her mutation wouldn't be working on him if he didn't want her at all.

"Whatever." Alex stalked out, but Sam followed, stepping in front of him to block his path. Why couldn't he just talk about this? His mutation wasn't exactly under control from what she'd heard, so why couldn't he get why although she flirted, she wasn't trying to make him become obsessed with her?

"Can't you just talk to me? I'm not moving. And I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

Alex stepped forward and shoved Sam aside, causing her to stumble. She watched him go, completely shocked. Her mutation had never had that kind of impact on someone before, and she didn't understand why he was reacting so negatively.


	3. Conflict

**Chapter Three: Conflict**

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! This will mostly follow along the line of X-Men: First Class, but there will be quite a few changes along the way ;)**

* * *

Sam walked into the library quietly, noticing that Charles was reading a book. She had been hoping to see him, troubled by the extremely negative reaction Alex had had to her mutation. She clasped her hands in front of her, taking a deep breath. It was a new start for her and she wanted to do it right, but so far she felt that she wasn't doing a good job.

"Charles? I wanted to talk to you. About my mutation."

Charles looked up, marking a page in his book before setting it down. He gestured to the chair beside his.

"Please, sit." He watched as Sam hesitantly took a seat. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Alex hates me because he thinks I'm deliberately using my mutation on him," Sam muttered, playing with her hands. She had been involved in a few ugly situations because of her mutation. Nothing that majorly affected her or stopped her from wanting to use it, but she had been hoping to get along with others of her kind. Alex had shown her that sometimes, you just weren't accepted.

"You are yet to learn to control it," Charles admitted, "I don't think it's just your mutation that's making him attracted to you. He likes you and uses your mutation as a way to deny it."

"Likes me?" Sam's little nose screwed up in confusion. "He barely knows me."

"But he does like you," Charles insisted. He knew Alex better than Sam did, and knew that while her mutation would definitely be a factor, the blonde boy was intrigued by her. "Your mutation can manipulate a person but only to a certain degree, and they need to be attracted to you."

"Which is why it doesn't affect people like you or Erik," Sam nodded, understanding that much. There were always people that the pheromone manipulation part of her mutation didn't affect. "I get the attraction…but I don't think he has any feelings for me. He only met me recently."

Charles raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know what to do." Sam raked her hands through her hair, feeling defeated. "It's not like I'm not used to guys wanting me, but…none of them ever got angry at me for it. I didn't mean to make him angry."

"Perhaps you should talk to him," Charles suggested. Admittedly, when he had opened up his home to mutants, he hadn't taken into account the fact that he would have to deal with hormonal teenagers.

Sam licked her dry lips. "How can I control it?"

"You'll have to concentrate and try to feel when it has an effect on the boys," Charles instructed her, offering her a smile despite her frustrated expression. "You'll learn to control it."

"I hope so," Sam grumbled.

* * *

Clara sat outside, enjoying the heat of the sun. It was a pleasant day and she was enjoying being alone while reading one of the many books that she had brought to the mansion. While she missed her small house, she also enjoyed knowing that there were other people in the house and that she wasn't completely alone, even though she enjoyed her own company more than that of other peoples.

She glanced over at the back door as she heard it open; watching as Alex walked out of the kitchen, drink in hand, in his gym gear. "Hey."

Alex glanced at her and she could see that he was tense. "Hi."

Clara frowned, closing her book and angling her body towards Alex. "You okay?"

"Not really." He shook his head, finishing his drink before walking over and sitting on the grass beside her.

"What's up?" She questioned as she crossed her legs, putting her book down beside her, tilting her head to the side slightly.

He sighed heavily, raking a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Sam."

Clara raised an eyebrow. She knew the two had become rather close and were often found together, but she didn't know that there was tension between them, making her curious as to what had happened. "Oh?"

"She's just one of those girls who knows she's pretty and uses it." Alex sighed heavily, picking at the grass and chucking it across the lawn.

"How so?" Clara asked, trying to dig into what had occurred between the two of them.

"She makes me want her." Alex spat out, alerting Clara that he believed that Sam had been using her mutation on him to make him feel the things he was feeling for her.

"I think there's more to it than that. I think you want her as much as her mutation makes you want her." She pointed out, knowing that Sam's mutation only affected someone if they were attracted to her to begin with.

Alex groaned, raking his hands down his face. "She frustrates me at times."

"I can tell." She pointed out, having been listening to the conversation they were having and watching Alex's growing frustration as they spoke about Sam. "Talk to her."

"What good would that do?" Alex threw his hands up in frustration. Last time he had spoken to her they had ended up arguing over anything and everything.

Clara shrugged, walking back into the kitchen. "More than sitting around and doing nothing will."

"What am I meant to say?" Alex questioned, following Clara into the kitchen.

Clara sighed heavily, not wanting to give Alex instructions on everything. "Just talk to her. Start by saying sorry for getting so angry."

Alex groaned before finally giving into her advice, guessing no more harm could really be done. "Alright."

* * *

Sam set the needle down carefully on the Elvis Presley, grinning when the music started to play. She was a huge Elvis fan and had owned all of his records – before she'd caused Syd to kill himself, of course. She glanced at Alex, who was lounging on the couch and sipping a beer. Sam cocked an eyebrow.

"You're too young to be drinking."

Alex shrugged and Sam immediately turned her attention and started dancing around to Hound Dog, which was probably her favourite Elvis song of all. She spun in circles and laughed when she noticed that Alex was watching her and shaking his head slowly.

"What? Come dance. It'll be fun."

Alex didn't look impressed. "No thanks."

"Can I have some beer?" Sam asked, changing tactic completely. Alex reached out to hand over the beer and she took it, grabbing his wrist and tugging him to his feet. He looked a bit surprised at the quick motion, and Sam laughed at his expression, using the hand she was holding to twirl herself. He sighed heavily and she examined him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, aren't you having fun?"

"No," Alex replied flatly. "I hate dancing."

"What don't you hate?" Sam rolled her eyes, releasing his hand and finishing off his beer. She noticed his scowl and wondered if there was anything that made the boy happy. "What? Seriously. I get you've been in solitary, but you have zero social skills. Why are you such a dick?"

"I just don't want to dance," Alex retorted irritably, causing Sam to frown at his tone. "You could've left me alone."

She bit her lip. "I was trying to be friendly."

"Maybe you should listen to what people want rather than assuming," Alex shot at her, watching as she stared at her hands, obviously affected by his words. He walked out of the lounge, headed down for the gym, but Sam followed him.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you," Alex ground out. He just wasn't used to girls following him around and being a general pain in the ass, and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I just wanted to have some fun," Sam said defensively. She hadn't been at all flirtatious with Alex, she had just been mucking around. So what was his problem now? She was starting to think she couldn't do anything without him getting pissed off about.

"Then have some fun by yourself," Alex retorted.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Why don't you want to?"

"Just back off, jeez," Alex snapped at her, his patience with her snapping, "I want to go do weights. By myself. In the gym."

The blonde girl looked hurt by his tone, and Alex realised that he'd upset her without intending to. He raked a hand through his hair, watching as Sam wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry. I just…I just thought I'd be able to make friends here."

Alex sighed heavily, feeling a bit guilty for losing his temper with her. "I'm sure you had plenty of friends."

"You should go work out." Bitterness tainted Sam's voice. "I'm sure you don't need some little slut distracting you all the time."

"You aren't a slut," Alex stated. Sure, he tired of her mutation making him want her, but he was beginning to think that it was unintentional.

Sam tilted her head to the side. "Well then why do you make me feel like one?"

Alex was puzzled by that. "How do I?"

"Forget it." Sam shook her head. How was she supposed to explain to Alex that his constant disdain towards her made her feel like she had done something wrong, like she was something dirty he didn't want to touch? "You want me to leave you alone, okay."

* * *

Clara stretched as she put her book down, letting out a loud yawn. She had spent most of the day soaking up the sun and reading. She often found herself doing this, though whether it was to avoid other people within the mansion she didn't know. It was just something about the open space outside that she found appealing, especially when it gave her to the chance to spend some time cooking herself in the sun.

She glanced over at Erik as she saw him walk outside with a plate of food, sitting down beside her on the grass and beginning to eat his lunch. Clara sat up from her spot before rolling over onto her stomach, flipping a page in her book, and yawning again.

"Tired?" Erik glanced at her as she shut her book.

Clara nodded, raking her hair back. "Yeah. A little."

"You should sleep." Erik pointed out as he finished his lunch.

He glanced down at her as she raised an eyebrow. "Its the middle of the day."

"So?" He questioned, thinking her sleeping would be the most logical option to combat that she was tired.

She shook her head. "It'd be weird and I'd be up all night."

"Well, if you're tired..." He trailed off before being cut off by her.

"I'm okay."

"Alright." Erik watched as she got to her feet, wandering into the kitchen.

He stayed sitting for a moment before pushing himself to his feet and following her into the kitchen. He dumped his plate in the sink before running some hot water and beginning to wash up the dirty dishes that had accumulated from everyone's breakfast that morning. Clara glanced at him from where she leant against the bench, sipping a glass of water.

"How are you finding it here?" She asked as she finished her drink, placing the glass in the water.

"I like it." He answered as he finished washing up, draining the water from the sink.

"That's good." Clara smiled, sitting up on the bench as Erik sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"And you? You keep to yourself a lot." He had observed that she didn't interact with a lot of people, as if she preferred to be alone.

She shrugged, glancing around the place. She liked it here, it was the closest thing that she'd had to a home since the incident with her brother. "I just like being alone. I do like it here though."

"You talk to Sam, but that's about it." He stated, also finding that she seemed to avoid the majority of males in the house, only talking to Sam and occasionally to Raven.

"I'm talking to you." Clara pointed out, grinning.

"That's true." Erik chuckled, shaking his head at her poor attempt at a joke. "Do you use your mutation a lot?"

Clara shook her head, she wasn't comfortable with using her mutation at times. "Not really. My precognition is the only one I really use, and that's unintentional."

"How do you get along with Charles?" He asked, wanting to gain a better understanding of how she felt in the mansion.

Clara nodded in answer. "We get along fairly well."

"That's good. He seems like a good person." Erik crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"He is." Clara smiled, nodding her head in agreement.


End file.
